Car-coupling.



H. T. KRAKAU.

GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED IBB. 19, 1913.

'Lwpm @o y mamma July 21, 19m

@wi/humaan c. y y @L MIM,

STA.

HARRY '.l. KRAKAU,

CAR-COUPLING.

inceste.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2L time..

Application filed February 18, 1913. Serial No. 749,113.

section on lines lll--ll of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3-

is a section on lines lll-Hl of Fig. 1.

My invention relates to car couplers, and

provides a coupler in which the major portionof the ulling strains is carried back through the 7nuckle tail and is thence transmitted to the coupler head, and in which the knuckle pin is relieved of strain, thus enabling the hub of the knuckle and the ears of the coupler head to be made of heavy section through the utilization of a smaller pivot pin.

My improvements consist in the construe tion of the knuckle tail and of corresponding parts on the coupler head through which the pulling strains are transmitted, and in provision for holding the knuckle tail from vertical movement relative to the coupler head, whereby creeping of the lock is prevented.

Referring 'to the drawings, A indicates the coupler head, B the knuckle, C the lock, and D the knuckle pin. rlhe'knuckle tail 2 has projecting vertically from its upper and lower faces transversely-extending lugs 3 yand 4c, which engage corresponding shoulders 5 and 6 on the top and bottom of the coupler cavityrespectively when the knuckle is in locked position. r)She forward or bearing walls of the lugs 3 and 4 are curved and the arcs of curvature are struck from centers which are out of coincidence with the center of the pivot pin D; that is, the center of rotation of the knuckle B. The purpose of this eccentricity is to prevent friction, which would retard the opening movement, between the lugs 3 and 4 and the shoulders 5 and 6 as vthe knuckle B revolves about the pin D, so that the lugs will immediately free themselves from the shoulders, and thus permit an easy and unretarded swlnging of the knuckle. Regardless of whether or not the rear face 7 of the knuckle wears and allows the knuckle tail Ato move farther inwardly against the side wall 8 of the coupler head, the lugs 3 and et will always remain in tight contact with the shoulders 5 and 6 for transmitting the pulling strains and relieving the pivot pin of strain because of the eccentricity of the centers of curvatures of the lugs and shoulders with respect to the center of the pivot pin.

The lock C is preferably of wedge shape 1n vertical cross section, to hold the knuckle tight in its bearings against the wall 8 and the shoulders 5 and 6, and to compensate for wear, but if desired may be made with parallel sides and without the wear-compensating feature.

The upper and lowerl surfaces 9 and 10 of the lugs 3 and @respectively are slightly convergent toward the'rear side of the knuckle tail, as is shown in Fig. 3, and the coupler head has correspondingly inclined surfaces 11 and 12, which, when the knuckle is in locked position, are just in contact with the surfaces 9 and 10. This contact,'which extends clear 'across the knuckle tail, tends to hold the tail against any verticalv movement,g and so eliminates the usual cause of the creeping of the lock. rlhe rear side 7 of the knuckle tail contacts with the bearing 8 on the side wall of the coupler cavity when the knuckle is in locked position, such contact taking'place before the surfaces 9 and 10 practically the same degree that the bearing faces of the lugs 3 and t move away from the shoulders 5 and 6, thus insuring an un retarded opening of the knuckle lt will be seen that the strains of buiing and draft are transmitted equally through both the top and bottom of the coupler head by reason ofthe location of the lugs 3 and et and the corresponding vshoulders 5 and 6,-

thus obtaining a proper distribution of the pulling strains, and preventing any vertical distortion of theknucklettail.

yllt is obvious that vvarious changes' may be made in the construction and 'operation of the coupler which l have described and il@ shown herein Without departing from my invention, since What I claim is:

l. In a car coupler, a coupler head, a knuckle, a Wedge lock, said knuckle having the upper and lower surface of its tail inclined in a transverse direction, said inclines converging toWa-rd the rear side of said tail, corresponding inclines on the coupler head, and means on the coupler head ooacting with the knuckle tail to prevent eX- cessive Wedging of said inclines but permitting their Contact to prevent vertical movement of said knuckle relative to the head, the said lock -loeing adapted to hold the in-- clines on the knuckle tail in Wedging engagement with. the inc-lines'- on the coupler head.

2. In a car coupler,` a coupler head, a knuckle, a Wedge lock, said knuckle having on its upper and lower surfaces inclines con- .vergent toward the rear side of its tail coacting With corresponding inclines on the coupler head, and a vertical bearing surface on the rear side of said knuckle tail in contact With a corresponding bearing on the,

knuckle having a tail with a vertical rear l side, inclines upon the upper and lower sur-` faces of said tail,l said inclines extending transversely acrossathe Width of said tail and being convergent toward its rear side, and a Wedge lock, the said lock being adapted to keep the inclines uponthe tail in engagement with corresponding inclines upon the head.

HARRY T. KRAKAU.

Witnesses:

CHESTER K. BROOKS, HARRY E. OBR. 

